Making Your Health a Priority in 2013

There are no guarantees regarding your health. We all have to go sometime. The reason to take really good care of yourself is not so that you can live forever. It is enough to know that you have done everything in your power. As someone recently told me, making his health a priority and being pro-active regarding being and staying well is better than crossing his fingers and hope that something serious does not happen to him. Those of us who strive to live a life of meaning and significance naturally, by extension, take good care of ourselves.

Here are five compelling reasons why your life will be better if you make your health a priority.

It takes less time to take care of yourself than it does to attend to being sick. If time is important to you – and it should be if you are here to make a difference – than every minute is precious. It is difficult to be productive if you have surrendered your health through neglect. On the other hand, the time you spend exercising and eating nutritious food will come back to you in the form of more productive time because of the energy you will experience.

It is cheaper to invest in your health than it does to try to buy it back. Talk about a good ROI – return on your investment. As a financial planner recently remarked, “You are going to pay for your health one way or the other. It costs money to stay healthy, but not as much as trying to buy your health back if, God forbid, you lose it.”

Speaking of money, if you are a business man or business woman, or if you work for someone else, I assume that for the most part, you work hard for your earnings. Perhaps you are like me – hard working and focused. Therefore, those earnings should be precious to you and you should be a good steward of them. Investing in high quality supplements, for example, might yield a greater return to you than fast food or junk food, even if the supplements cost more.

Do you aspire to inspire others? Do you think about being a role model for clients, family and friends? If your energy is low or if you feel crummy about yourself because you neglected your own body, consider the opposite. Namely, how you can lead others to live life more responsibly because you have made similar choices yourself. Leading by example is always the most powerful approach.

Self-esteem. Self-worth. Self-respect. Call it what you might, but this is how you feel about yourself. Your opinion of yourself matters and it is revealed through your interactions with others. If you feel terrific as a direct result of, for example, proper exercise and good nutrition, you will have better posture. This will bode well for you in all of your relationships, both personal and professional. Be the change you wish to see in others.